Keep Fighting
by MsJadeSilver
Summary: An completely out-of-the-blue, unlikely survivor, Alex Fawn, joins a group of survivors in search of the last safe place left on Earth, will they make it to their destination? Or will they finally fall prey to the infected that ravage the streets? Ellis/OC
1. Chapter 1

Blistering sun rays bared down on the standstill cars on the highway, long, dead grass poked up through cracks in the pavement, yellowing the black road. Cars and trucks piled on top of each other, long since abandoned, blackened windows barely hid the charred bodies inside a green van.

The heat was unbearable, I didn't know how long it had been since the last time there had been fresh water on my lips. The highway was long, there wasn't a town for miles, and I needed to rest. I could feel my stomach eating away at itself, it had been probably just as long since the last time I ate something as well.

I felt pain tear through my shoulder as I walked, I winced at every step I took, sweat poured over my wounds, filling the angry, red marks with salt. I couldn't cry anymore, there were no tears left, yet the pain, and the journey, dragged on and on. My black tank was covered in rust-colored blood, some my own, some not, and my favorite pair of skinny jeans were tattered at the bottoms and the knees.

"Ughh..." I moaned, I wondered how much I resembled the things I had been running from all this time. I could only vaguely remember the last time the world had been... less deadly.

* * *

I had only just finished a test that would change my failing grade, not by much, but I would pass my class. College was something I hadn't really planned on doing, I had no idea what I was going to do for a career, but I had taken so many classes in random subjects to see what I liked. I took a medical class, and though I had actually aced it, I didn't really see myself going into the medical field. I took a few art classes, and those I really enjoyed, but I couldn't find an actual job that incorporated any of my skills. Any art was just reduced to doodles in a sketchpad while I was supposed to be studying for other classes.

I had spent a long time alone, not really having any friends at my school, I had a few in High school, but they had moved away, or just stopped being there. It would have been heartbreaking if I had really let it sink in, but with all the classes I had forced down my throat, and the part-time job as a waitress at a local diner... there wasn't really any time for friends anyway.

My parents on the other hand, they baby'd me for years, keeping me from going to parties, or hanging out with what few friends I had, until finally dropping me in this school, practically without a goodbye. I had been living at home for a few years after high school, and they wanted me out so they could go... I really have no idea what their plans were. Mom called me every once in a while to check if I was still alive, but they were few and far in between.

It wasn't until a few months ago that the sickness hit.

People were mumbling things in front of the dorm televisions, some people freaking out and packing up to go back home, some racking up extreme credit card debt to buy frivolous things, some getting so drunk that they must have killed every brain cell in their head. But after another week had passed, the riots had stopped, people were no longer living crazy and carelessly. When the disease spread to our town, people started going mad, collecting guns, stockpiling food, killing each other, and killing themselves in a desperate attempt to free themselves from the end that was to come.

I hadn't seen the infected yet, but I knew I had to get food and supplies and escape.

I was on my way to the market in my car when I saw my first infected human. She was my neighbor, she lived in an apartment building with her mother across from the school. She wore a cute, baby-pink jean skirt and her favorite pink bumble-bee shirt, her little feet only had tiny white socks, her shoes absent from her wardrobe. It would have been adorable... But her little sock were covered in dirt and blood, red dripped from her torn lips, where I could see remnants of pink lipstick from her dress-up game not hours ago. Her fingers were bent in a terrifying angle, like the rigid claws of a monster. Blood drenched her bumble-bee shirt and stained her skirt, her once beautiful blue eyes were sickly yellow, the color drained into an off-white. I stopped the car dead in its tracks, the sight wrenched my heart in two.

"Abby..?" I cried softly, My window was down, and I could hear the sickly growls emanating from her bloodied throat. Her wild eyes locked onto mine, and the moans quickly evolved into high-pitched shrieks. She sprinted with inhuman speed to my vehicle, her cute, wobbly gait gone from her child-like body. I put the car into gear and slammed my foot down on the accelerator, squeezing my eyes shut as the front of my fender rammed into her soft, grotesque walking corpse.

I sped away, crying my eyes out over the ordeal, chanting silently to myself, "It's not Abby anymore... It's not Abby anymore..."

* * *

That memory seemed so far away, like a horrible nightmare from long ago. I had seen many painful things, felt many more awful emotions that I wish I could have lived my whole life without feeling, but none more jarring than my first experience with the infected.

I was feeling faint now, my pace was slowed and I found myself stumbling over my own feet. I had lost quite a bit of blood, and the sweat that had been pouring all day had suddenly stopped. I felt cold and hot at the same time, my tongue was dry, my long hair was as hot as a firecracker from being exposed to the sun's devastating rays. I had been out on the highway too long, the last safe house was too far away to try to go back, and the next one was nowhere in sight. I finally dropped to my knees, the blood coating them sizzled against the hot pavement.

I was too tired, my eyes were being pulled down by the invisible force of sleep, I had to wait until I was in a safe place, but my body didn't seem to comprehend the dangers of resting out in the open. "No..." my lips stung now, I ran my dry tongue over them to realize they were cracked.

It was over.

I had fought so long, killing so many infected faces, seeing so many distorted bodies... I fought so hard.

I wanted to live. To survive.

I collapsed onto the searing blacktop to my side, breathing softly.

The world grew cloudy, the pain in my shoulder subsided, the cold spread to my chest. I felt like something was sitting heavily on my chest. Finally, my eyes gave in to the darkness, and I felt myself slipping from reality.

As I fell from earth, I thought I heard heavy footsteps rush up on my still body. Turning over, I surrendered my body to the creatures approaching, the shadows were on me in seconds. I awaited the pain that would surely accompany the feasting of my body, the gnashing jaws that were about to rip me apart.

I heard soft mumbles... odd. Zombies didn't talk. I tried to force my lids apart, but only succeeded in prying them open enough to make out a few blurred figures. A warm hand touched my face, brushing the straggling hairs that were glued to my face by way of my sweat and blood.

"Is she alive?" I heard a deep rumbling voice through my fog.

"Me n' Nick saw 'er fall, we gotta get 'er to the safe house!" A strong southern accent responded to the deep, throaty one.

"She looks pretty banged up, but she's still breathing." a female voice got closer, I could see a darker, thinner form croon over my body, whilst a larger, form, a man was holding my head up. I tried to speak, but only a dry whisper escaped my lips. The one holding my head leaned closer, I could smell a woodsy musk about him. He spoke again, I faded in and out. "Let's go, I'll carry 'er"

"What are you all doing? We need to get to the goddamn safe house!" There was a loud, irritated voice above all of them, a white blob appeared in my vision, catching up to the group.

"We need ta get 'er safe!" the southern voice called, I could now see that it was coming from the form that held my head, I heard a grumble. "She ain't going to make it, guys. No way. She'll turn and be on us in a second." I felt the southerner lift me bridal-style from the ground and I limply pressed against his chest as he walked, I felt joy, knowing that there was still humans out here, let alone decent ones.

"Th..." I tried to give my thanks to him, but I had finally faded beyond thought.

Nighty night...

* * *

**More soon...**


	2. Chapter 2

"Nick!"

"Shut up Ellis!"

I woke groggily to the sounds of two people bickering. The one named Nick was getting more sarcastic and irritated by the second, the southern one name Ellis holding his own against him.

"We are going to get slowed down by her! You should have left her back there, she was more than half-gone anyway, it would have been peaceful!" the I could only guess was Nick shouted, I peeked one eye open to see the look on his red face. He didn't really seem that mad, he acted as if he was just arguing to argue. He wore a white… or at least, it used to be white, suit, a blue shirt poked out from underneath, his hair was neatly combed back.

"You 'spect me to leave her out there by herself? You don't do that to a lady!" the southern voice shouted, it shocked me to hear the tone he was using. It got quiet, and the white suited male scoffed and walked away, unwilling to drag the conversation on any longer. I opened the other eye to look at the one leaning over me, his hands were on my shoulder, which I just remembered was really messed up, the pain was returning with a vengeance. He looked down again, this time at my face. Our eyes locked for a moment before he went back to my wounds. He gasped and did a double take back at my face.

"Yer awake!" I blinked at him, still feeling a little woozy, I felt like I was still asleep, or perhaps I was dead. I wasn't sure at this point. The one above me was definitely Ellis, the southern boy who had carried me before I passed out. I tried to speak, but a kind of sigh escaped my lips. Everyone was suddenly at my side, all except the white-suited man with the bad attitude. A large dark-skinned man with a considerably large belly bumped his way to the front, checking my wounds, and taking a good look at me. Another person walked up, dark skin clouded my vision as a thin female leaned over me to grab a pair of scissors.

"Good morning, child." A booming voice, coming from the large man woke me up completely, I jumped a little at the sound. He gave a big, cheery smile that made me feel so much better.

"How are you holding up?" the woman said, her voice sounded soothing. I smiled weakly, not yet able to speak.

"You can go back ta sleep, I'll be right here." Ellis' reassuring voice made me drift off to sleep again, but I could tell, there were no dreams ahead.

* * *

I woke up to darkness, my eyes wandered around the room until I saw the large man huddled into a corner, snoring heavily. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and sounded like he was very uncomfortable. The one in a once-white suit, Nick I think, was laying flat on the floor, sprawled on a ragged rug and covered in a thick blanket. The woman reclined atop the couch, her body tucked away underneath another blanket.

_Where is the southern guy?_

"Oh, hey there. Thought you'd never wake up." I jumped a little, hearing the soft whisper of the southern man, I looked up, realizing that he had been by my side the whole time. His eyes were tired, he looked down, his lips curled into a joyful smile, but he looked exhausted.

"H..how long have you been awake...?" I asked, lifting my arm to rub my eyes, I stopped, the pain threatening to tear through me again.

"Now hey, don' you go 'n mess up yer arm, I finally got it all healed up." He reached down to the floor and picked up a small bottle of water, he lifted it to my lips, I was about to tell him that my other arm worked fine, but he looked like he wanted to help so bad. I took a sip of it, then bit down onto the cap and drank the entire thing, it tasted like the most wonderful water there ever was. It was definitely the best water I had ever had in my life. He chuckled quietly, my cheeks got red when I realized how strange it must have looked.

"Well, someone was gettin' thirsty." I smiled, his laugh was contagious. I looked again at his tired eyes.

"How long... have you been awake?" I asked again, he definitely hadn't slept recently.

"A few days, nuthin' I cain't handle." He smiled again, I smiled back, I could see now that we were both on a couch, I was laying down, and he was sitting next to me, leaning lazily on the armrest.

"You should sleep." I stated, he looked like he would konk out any time now. He shook his head, but I scooted over anyway, giving him room to lie down as well. He had spent so much time helping me recover, I didn't want him to sleep on the floor. He looked down at the open space, then looked away, I thought I could see a faint tint of red spreading on his cheeks, the smile was gone from his face.

"Sleep, or I'll take off my bandages." I warned him, he smiled a little, then slid down next to me, I turned to face the back of the couch to give him some more room, and I slept better facing the back any way. I felt his breath on my neck, it was awkward at first, then his breaths became rhythmic, he was already fast asleep.

I felt my eyes flutter closed, I was already getting tired. I leaned back against his sleeping form, absorbing his warmth, then fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Alex? Alex wake up." I woke slowly from a fluffy bed, my eyes adjusted to the soft light.

"Alex..." _Mom?_

"Alex... get up. We are all waiting..." _Mom..._

I lifted my eyes from the soft blankets to my mother, she looked young, like she was when I was a child. I looked down, I gasped, I had no breasts, my body was soft and small, my hair was short. I _am _a child!

"Alex, lets go... we are all waiting." I got up and grabbed her hand, she led me into the dining room. I smiled, everyone... and I mean everyone, was there.

Mom, Dad, uncle Marty, aunt Susan, Kate... everyone. They were all gathered around a birthday cake, I couldn't count the candles, they made the entire room bright. I sat down in the chair, awaiting the song. _Can't blow out the candles until after they sing the birthday song!_ I giggled in joy when Mom started, they all sang like they were somewhere else, by the time the song was finished, it was almost as if they had begun a chant.

_Happy birthday... To you..._

The warm smiles that everyone had given slowly faded.

_Happy birthday... dear Alex..._

Their eyes all focused on me at once, the candles melting down, down until they had almost touched the cake.

_Happy birthday..._

I wanted to blow out my candles, so I took in a deep breath, waiting for the last two words to fall from their mouths.

_To..._

Mom's glare caught me off guard, they had stopped singing. I could not hold in the air any longer, I blew out the vast quantity of my candles with one long stream of air. I looked down at them as each one flickered out, until only one remained. I looked up, Dad was gone, Uncle Marty's chair was unoccupied and covered with blood, as was aunt Susan's. Kate's chair was broken, she was pierced through the heart by the top peg, blood trailed down her lips as she took her last breath. I looked and saw my mother, she was inches from my face, her skin yellowed and it hung all wrong, her once gleaming green iris' replaced by dead, white orbs. Her teeth were visible through her torn mouth, blood caked her blue pantsuit, her insides no long inside. I felt hot tears burn my cheeks. She leaned in closer still, her bloodied, infected hand hovering over the cake as our noses' touched.

"You." She slammed her hand down onto the cake, smashing the candle, destroying the flame, and the light with it.

* * *

I woke screaming.

* * *

**_Please review, let me know if you want more._**

**_By the way, I tried to get my writing to sound southern like Ellis when he talks, tell me if you get it._**


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